Meet the Sun
by zeppoJane
Summary: Set at the end of season 6 of Btvs, on the night that Dawn is staying with her friend Janice to allow Willow and Tara to enjoy their newly rekindled love she meets a very different kind of ancient vampire.
1. Chapter 1

"Oh My God! Did you see what Shelby Fitzgerald is wearing tonight? It's freaking gorgeous!" Dawn's best friend Janice prattled on from across the table they'd grabbed at the Bronze. The two had talked Janice's mother into letting the girls go if they got a ride to and from with Janice's totally hot older brother Kevin. "You know she usually has such horrible fashion sense and her parents have like no money but this outfit was seriously killer."

_Yeah, killer, _Dawn thought. She remembered hearing about how Shelby had disappeared for a couple of days only to pop back up tonight with a fabulous make over. _She is soooo a vampire now. _

The other teen took a long sip out of her straw as she eyed up her b.f.f. "So Summers, what's up with you? You're all like gloomy now and when you called this afternoon to see if you could stay over you were practically back to your old sunny-self."

"Old sunny-self?" the slayer's sister questioned with her goofy half smile and eyebrow raised.

Her friend nodded, "yep, you know, like you used to be before your mom died."

"Oh," Dawn ducked her head down and then pushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear almost nervously. "Well I guess I'm just all gloomy cause... I'm kinda green monster girl here."

"You wanna be in love," Janice sing songed obnoxiously. Sometimes Dawn wasn't so sure why she tolerated the other girl, except they'd been best friends since they were nine year olds.

Looking up at her friend with her pale eyes flashing defiantly, "what's so wrong with that? You're in love with a new guy every week."

Her friend gave her a semi-scathing glare at that remark but chose not to address it openly. "So go out and date, fall in love, loose your friggin' virginity already!"

"Janice," Dawn hissed embarrassed at what her best friend had practically just yelled out in public. "I don't want to just go doing that with anybody. I actually want to feel a connection beyond just the smooches."

"You want what your sister's friend Willis and her girlfriend have right?"

"Willow," the pale girl corrected. "And yes, I want to be with someone that's smart and funny, and who doesn't think I'm a total spazoid... Someone serene and wise and utterly at peace with themselves," she finished on a sigh. Looking up at her b.f.f. she noticed the girl was winking flirtatiously with the new transfer student Christopher Whatever instead of listening. Dawn only groaned when the blond boy wonder came over to their table.

"Hey Janice," he greeted then pausing to spare a questioning glance at Dawn he nodded her way. "I'm Chris Lorenz," he officially introduced himself to the hormone crazed girl.

She nodded and gave him her sexiest smile, "you just transferred her from up along the coast right?"

Before the scene could get any more sickening Dawn got up, excusing herself. "I'm gonna go get a refill," she sighed.

"Could you grab me one too?" Janice asked before turning back to her newest boy toy again.

"Fine, whatever," the brunette answered rolling her eyes and stalking through the crowd towards the bar.

Godric had blown into Sunnydale just before sunrise the night before but had not had a chance to look around the infamous hellmouth or see its legendary slayer. This evening he had found a quaint looking club called the 'Bronze' and decided to see what life was really like amongst the people here. The ancient vampire had been on his way back from San Francisco to his home in Dallas and decided to spend a few days in small town so many of his kind both feared and relished to be in.

His phone rang as he carefully managed to wade through the throbbing mass of overly perfumed bodies, sweating as they writhed together, to the bar. Looking at the number the eternal teen fought not to roll his eyes at his progenies number flashing on the screen. "Eric you really don't need to check up on me," he answered with the patience born of over two thousand years walking the earth.

"What are you doing going to Sunnydale then my old friend?" the Viking asked angered by his worry for his sire.

Godric signaled the bartender that he wanted a coke and tried to reassure his child calmly. "Relax would you, I'm not looking for any trouble I just thought I'd do a bit of exploring. Its not liking I'm planning to go jump into a fight with that girl, my son."

He heard a huff over the phone, "there's no way I can convince you of your utter foolishness in just being there?"

"No, there is not," the vampire replied. "Besides its like I said before Eric, I'm just here to take in a bit of the culture and night life..." Godric let his speech drop off to nothing as he scanned with slate grey eyes until they met with the loveliest creature he'd ever seen. She was pale, almost paler than him, her dark hair fell around her face as she spoke with her friend. He could not truly see the full beauty of her face until she looked up and pushed the stray lock of hair behind her ear. Her eyes were both the palest and brightest of blues imaginable, her features the very definition of feminine delicacy.

The two millennia old vampire could hear his oldest friend calling his name from across the telephone line. "Godric... Godric!" he roared impatience and worry.

"Be calm, my child, I am here," he answered finally as a man joined his beauty and their friend at their table. "I found myself momentarily distracted is all."

"By what a pretty girl?" the Viking quipped.

"Indeed," Godric answered.

There was a heavy pause, "not _that_ girl?"

Studying the girl more closely the teen realized that she was indeed very close to him in age physically. "No far too young for that," he told his friend. Watching as the girl rolled her eyes at the open flirting of her two companions and headed towards the bar, two empty glasses in hand he promptly hung up on his progeny in favor of perhaps getting to know this rare visage's owner.

Turning back to the bar and slowly sipping his coke he automatically switched his cell phone to off and prayed that girl would come close enough that he could hear her undoubtedly sweet voice over the cacophony of everything else around them. He was glancing sidelong at the bar around him waiting to see where she would end up. So busy he was waiting to catch a glance of the girl coming up somewhere next to him he found himself seriously getting impatient. Turning in his chair to see if he could find her in the crowd again he found himself running straight into her.

Godric's cool strong hands barely managed to catch her as slammed into his chest and bounced off nearly falling to the ground as she did. "God I'm so sorry," she immediately apologized and tried to steady herself on her feet. "I'm such a spaz sometimes, are you okay?" The girl continued to babble as shifted the cups in her hands once more and he reluctantly released his grasp on her forearm.

Warm, she was so warm and alive under that soft baby blue sweater that matched her eyes just so. "I'm Godric, and its no need to worry. It was my fault, really."

Finally she looked up at him, her eyes taking in his pale skin, the well built muscles barely veiled by his loose clothing, the warm depths of his dark grey eyes. "Whoa," she sighed almost so quietly that he did not hear her.

"Are you dizzy?" he asked politely, offering her his now abandoned seat.

The girl shook her head, "no. You're just... really beautiful."

This instantly set the ancient's lips to a rich and kind smile, his somewhat uneven teeth showing. Somehow they only made him appear more attractive though; they made his real. "May I have your name then?... And perhaps buy a refill on your drink?"

"Unh-huh," she answered breathlessly, doing her best not to swoon or act too crazy. He quickly ordered her refill and then calmly waited her answer. Finally she realized she was supposed to do something more than stare at the ethereal man before her. "Oh, I'm Dawn," she finally supplied offering her hand to shake.

"Dawn," he whispered wondering at the irony of her name as their hands met in warm caress.


	2. Chapter 2

A shock ran through her hand where her skin met Godric's calloused hand. Even when he released her hand to turn and hand her a drink the electricity was still rippling through Dawn's arms right down into the core of her being. The teen in front of her reminded her of Tara when he'd smiled just a moment before and it made her want to make him do it again. He had such an open loving face with slate grey eyes set into a wide strong face, a square set jaw, and the softest lips she'd ever seen before on a boy.

"Should we go sit down?" he asked in that soft lilting voice of his and motioned towards the sofas that sat in the far corner of the building just under the stair way.

"Uhh, yeah," she nodded and allowed the strange new teen to lead her through the crowds. Once seated together he set his cup down on the table and turned partially towards her so that he was studying her features. Dawn too turned in her seat towards him but still held her drink idly.

"So, Dawn," he started as he watched her closely. "Have you lived here long?" The ancient vampire had no idea how to talk to the young beauty beside him, he only knew that he very much wanted to talk to her.

She gave him a slight smile, making her face light up and a sweet light come to her eyes. "Since I was nine, my mom moved me and my sister here after our parents got divorced."

The vampire's head dipped down slightly before he looked back up at her again. "I'm truly sorry."

She shrugged making her long straight hair fall down over her face again slightly. "So what about you? I don't think I've ever seen you around before."

"I'm just on vacation, I'm afraid," he answered slowly, trying to stay as close to the truth as possible.

Her blue eyes seemed to rake regretfully over his face, "so, you'll be leaving soon."

"In a few days, a week perhaps," he answered quietly.

"Oh," the girl whispered softly and stared down into her cup. She looked a bit disappointed though at hearing this, perhaps she felt drawn to him as he did her. Carefully he scented the air around her and found that yes she was quite attracted to him.

A small smile threatened to pull at his lips so he instead surveyed the crowd of young people dancing, mingling, laughing. He felt so apart from all of them but as he turned towards Dawn he realized she was feeling the same way.

Pulling away from the potentially too serious moment he instead tried to lighten the girl's mood. "So what is there to do here?"

She looked up, blue eyes large with surprise, "in Sunnydale?"

"Yes, you must give me a to do list so that I won't miss anything while I'm here," he insisted gently. Hopefully she would suggest something that included him seeing her again.

Dawn looked around the room trying to figure out what he might enjoy doing. "Well I guess you could go to the mall, we have a pretty good arcade," she suggested lamely.

"I've always preferred more physical games," he admitted thinking back to the way he and the other boys of his village would have mock rabbit hunts. Looking up he noticed the slight blush staining her soft cheeks with a light pink and the mildly confused curious look in her eyes. "Like tag and paint ball," he elaborated, a flash back of making Eric and his progeny Pamela join him for a game last Christmas flashing through his head momentarily.

Dawn looked relieved even though she seemed to blush even more, "no paint ball here but we have a few parks and there's the beach."

"Yes," he sighed, "I've always been fond of the water."

"Me too," she said bouncing slightly in her seat as she turned to face him further. "And then there's the caves."

He watched her with interest, she liked caves. "Caves?" he asked her softly.

Dawn nodded, her hair shook around her in silken wisps. "Yeah, I've always wanted to do some spelunking but my sister says its not safe."

"I'm sure she just wants to keep you out of harms way," the old vampire assured the young teen.

"Well, yeah," she agreed readily. Dawn paused for a long moment wanting to change the subject before it hit the awkward territory of her sister. "You could go to a movie or one of the museums. The zoo's pretty cool too just, uhh, stay away from the hyenas."

He frowned slightly though there were no wrinkles or lines to mar his perfect features, "what's wrong with the hyenas?"

"Nothing now," she smiled. "They're just creepy."

Godric laughed his uneven teeth showing again and making the electric knot that was sitting in the pit of Dawn's stomach flutter wildly. "Honestly they've always confused me."

Dawn looked at him confused on how someone so obviously intelligent could be confused by something as simple as hyenas. "How so?"

"I can never decide if they're more wild dogs or cat-like. It annoys me... kind of like foxes," he admitted honestly. The first time he had seen a hyena had been when he was still human. His sire had taken him to inspect his stock for the roman arena and there were four hyenas amongst them. When Godric had jumped back in fear from their high pitch growling his sire had laughed at him. After that he had been tortured with them several more times, even after he was turned. Shaking off the unpleasant memories he instead focused on what Dawn was saying to him.

She huffed lightly at his comment, the smell of her breath sweet like berries as it wafted in the air around him. "At least foxes are cute," she pointed out.

He laughed again as his eyes caressed her form, "I'll give you that." Looking towards the dance floor he prodded, "so you forgot something..."

Dawn looked up from where she had been momentarily staring down into her drink, "I did?"

Godric stood up and glanced down at his beautiful young companion, "dance with a pretty girl should definitely be on my to do list."

She smiled a blush spreading over her pretty features again, "um... yeah."

He offered a hand to her honestly hoping she'd take it, "shall we?"

Dawn followed him onto the dance floor just the band that was playing tonight started slow and seemingly romantic song. Godric stopped not exactly sure where to put his hands but finally settling on just taking hers. Their fingers interlocked palms towards one another and it made them both smile awkwardly. "I don't dance like this much," she admitted shyly.

"Me either," he sighed not wanting to admit that the last time he had danced at all had been when waltzes were still popular.

Swallowing she looked into his honest grey eyes, "here." Dawn pulled his right hand, still laced with her left, behind her back to rest in just the middle. Their other hands just hung somewhat limply beside them as she stepped forward into him further.

The feel of her warm soft body pressed against him made him sigh appreciatively. The blue v-neck sweater was cut so that the swell of her breast drew the eye but Godric felt too much the gentleman to sneak a look. Instead he moved the side of his face against hers. They were nearly the same height, Dawn being only an inch shorter if that.

Dawn allowed Godric to lead them into a lazy shuffling of feet as they moved together. The rest of the room, the people, the world itself felt a million miles away as they danced. She turned her head towards him slightly and smiled, their mouths only a few scant inches apart. Dawn could swear he had to have felt the way her heartbeat was fluttering erratically in her chest where they were pressed together.

Looking down away from his lips, she saw an edge of black tattoo around his neck forming a collar. "You have a tattoo," she commented.

"Yes a few," he acknowledged, wondering if he could manage to show her the others before he left town.

"What are they?" she questioned curiously.

His dark grey eyes studied her pale baby blues as he answered, "most of them are tribal but the one on my back is of a great sea serpent."

"Cool," she answered, her warm breath brushing his lips gently. He watched as she licked her lips, "did you know that amongst the Norse the sea serpent was a mark of a great warrior or a king?"

"I did actually," he answered with a slight smile. "How do you know about the ancient iconography?"

Her head ducked slightly and then she looked up again, her plump lips pressing together. "My mom used to own an art gallery and I loved looking at all the old statues she'd get in."

Godric noticed the sad spark in her eyes, "used to?"

Dawn swallowed stepping back a bit but not letting go of his hands or their stance even though the song had changed to something much more fast paced. "She died two years ago," she explained.

In this town that could mean a million horrible deaths, "I'm sorry... How?..."

She sighed leaning her head against his shoulder, "she had a brain tumor and after the doctors removed it there was a complication... A brain aneurism."

Disentangling their hands he wrapped two strong arms around her holding her close in a hug. "Its okay, it'll be okay," he whispered into her hair the way he wished someone would have done for him when his world fell apart a million times over, when he'd been taken from his home and his people by the sadist vampire that would turn him.

Godric felt her warm soft lips brush across the smooth skin of his neck. "I know," she whispered into his flesh. He fought the hardening in his groin at that moment and tried very hard to ignore it.

Dawn felt him grown hard against the inside of her thigh, and looked up at him. Their lips were just inches from kissing and both felt the pull towards the other as though it were an uncontrollable compulsion. Their lips were nearly brushing as they looked deep into one another's eyes. "I feel so drawn to you," she admitted.

"Me too," he agreed whispering the words. This feeling was unlike any other he'd ever come across before in all the long years of his existence.

"Hey you ready to go?" Janice interrupted.

Dawn stepped back out of his arms, making them both ache with loss. "Uh, yeah," she answered looking at her best friend's smiling face.

Godric stopped her, "may I see you again Dawn?"

She smiled big and wide at him, "yeah, uh, call me tomorrow sometime?" Dawn offered him her number and left for the night.

Once she was gone some young vampire walked up to him and watched her leave. "Man you must be new in town," the male vampire sneered. He was dirty and greasy, and looked as though he hadn't changed his fashion much less bathed since the late 80's. Godric was instantly repulsed by the man and felt ashamed that they were both vampires.

Turning towards him patiently Godric asked, "what makes you say that?"

"Cause, dude, you just spent the night crushing all over the slayer's sister, instead of just killing the bitch. You must have a death wish," he laughed.

Godric grinned coldly at the other vampire, "come on lets go get something to eat."

"Cool, alright man," he answered following Godric away from the humans in the club and to his own death.


	3. Chapter 3

The two teenage girls were sitting amongst a pile of pillows back at the Penshaw household laughing and enjoying their sleepover. Janice sat across from her best friend wearing a pair of short shorts and a pink tank, her bowl of ice cream piled high with the works in her lap. Dawn was munching on a mix of popcorn and m&ms in her Hello Kitty pajama bottoms and matching tank.

They were laughing together as Dawn decided to breach the topic of Janice's newest plaything. "So you and Chris seemed to be hitting it off..." she paused letting her friend respond.

"Yeah," she sighed happily that girly twinkle in her eyes, again. "We've got a date Tuesday night." Taking a big bite of her ice cream she studied her blue eyed b.f.f. "and speaking of hitting it off, you and that guy were like two seconds from making out right there on the dance floor."

Dawn instantly blushed, "no we weren't!" Her friend just looked at her like she was a big fat fibber, she groaned knowing she was soooo busted. "Alright so maybe we were..." she admitted with a huff.

"Who was he anyway?" the teen asked looking at a gooey chunk of caramel in her ice cream.

The slayer's sister rolled over onto her stomach and lay with her head propped in her hands. "I don't really know," she sighed wondering for the first time if she should be worried.

"You don't know?" Janice asked pensively.

"His name is Godric. He's here on a family vacation," she filled in what she solidly knew about the man she felt so irresistibly drawn to.

Janice grinned wickedly, "oh, a summer fling, that's hot Summers."

Dawn shrugged and tried not to let the weariness that was her existence as the slayer's sister ruin her night. "I guess," she mumbled.

"What's the what Dawn?" the other girl questioned her friend.

"I don't know its just... almost too good you know. I mean, Godric's so cute and smart and funny and kind and god it should be illegal to be so hot!" The blue eyed girl let out a long weighted sigh and smiled brightly if a bit shyly.

Her friend laughed, "you've got it bad. And you're seeing him tomorrow?"

"Maybe, he's supposed to call," the girl admitted.

Janice flopped back onto her back on the floor, "lets just hope you get to the phone before your sister does."

"No kidding," Dawn groaned tossing a red m&m into her mouth. It would be a disaster if Buffy picked up and threatened to use his ribcage as a hat.

The two girls looked up as they heard a light knock on the door and Mrs. Penshaw poked her head in. "Hey girls, you need to get some sleep soon, even if it is a Saturday."

Janice sat up and lifted her bowl of ice cream to begin eating again, "yeah we're just gonna finish our ice cream first Mom."

The older woman rolled her eyes and smiled kindly, reminding Dawn of her own Mom painfully. "Okay girls just keep it down," her eyes warned them that if they woke Mr. Penshaw with their noise they would be in a lot of trouble.

"Will do Mrs. P," Dawn promised sweetly.

Once they were left alone again and the door was shut firmly, Janice smiled brightly. "So you totally will have to help me get ready for my date Tuesday," her giddiness was infectious as usual.

"Okay, first, how much do you actually like Chris?" Dawn prompted her friend trying to figure out how much skin would be good to show.

Janice seemed to think about for a long hard minute before she answered, "well he's no Godric..."

Dawn immediately threw a pillow at her friend as they both began laughing. "Shut up!" the smitten girl exclaimed in the middle of their fight.

Across town at the Sunnydale Inn Godric lay flat on his bed in the hotel room he had secured, making it light tight. He fished his cell phone out of his pocket and called his progeny back.

It only took about three seconds for Eric to pick up, "where were you? I've been calling you all night!"

"I was dancing," the ancient vampire sighed. He could still smell Dawn's scent where it clung to his clothes and skin like sweet ambrosia.

Eric nearly groaned, "let me guess the girl from before?"

"Yeah."

"Great. Fuck her, turn her, bring her home already. Just don't stay there and get yourself killed over some damn fang-banger!" the Viking could feel his sire's anger as he spoke and yet in his stubborn rant refused to back down.

Godric sat up straight, the old anger he used to be able to choke on came roaring back up again, filling every particle of his being. "Do NOT ever call her that!" he growled.

His child only laughed heartily, "listen to you Godric, talking about some simple human as though they mattered."

"I think perhaps this one does," the ancient admitted.

"You must be joking," Eric's voice dropped to a calm soft level tone.

"I am not..." Godric's own voice was in calm slow clip again. "I feel drawn towards her. It is unlike anything else I have ever known."

"I don't understand sire," the other vampire admitted.

The two thousand year old teen laid down again and stared at the ceiling, "I know you don't my child."

"Just be careful and stay from the slayer," Eric made his father promise.

"I will try."


	4. Chapter 4

"Thanks for coming to church with us this morning Dawn," Mrs. Penshaw told the young teen who was like a second daughter to her.

"It was no problem Mrs. P," the blue eyed girl smiled before piling out of the minivan and heading towards her house. She turned back to wave at the happy family as they headed off towards their own home.

Pulling her overnight bag further up on her shoulder she looked towards her own home. Walking closer she felt a cool breeze rake over her spine, a warning as to what might be found inside. Goosebumps formed on her arms and made the small hairs on the back of her neck stand on end despite the southern California heat. Dawn would never admitted but she always felt dread when she came up the front walk, chalk it up to her sister's line of work. The door was part way open as though someone had been in a hurry coming in or out and didn't bother shutting it fully. _Probably just Xander arguing with Buffy again_, she tried to pass it off as nothing.

Coming into the foyer, sunlit with the afternoon sun, she dropped her bag and jacket. Calling out she looked around her empty house, "Buffy?" Met only by the eerie silence coating her home with a thick blanket of fear she turned towards the stairs.

_Buffy's out looking for those losers again_, she tried to reason with herself. _Willow and Tara will be home for sure though, I doubt they'll leave the house all week. _

Every step upwards felt like she was walking through quicksand, trudging forwards despite every instinct and urge calling back down stairs. _This is silly Dawn, you should be able to go up the stairs in your own house._ With that side note to herself firmly in place she swallowed the strangely hard lump at the back of her throat and quickly finished the last few steps.

"Buffy?" she called out again hoping her strong super hero sister was home to chase away the fear the teen was feeling. Again she was met by nothing so she turned towards the room of her second mothers. "Hey? Hello," she began talking as she started to enter the bedroom, she could see Tara's shoes and legs sprawled out on the ground. _The witch was probably just looking through one of her books_, Dawn figured. She turned part way, pointing towards the door downstairs, "uh, the door was..."

The teen stopped utterly as she stepped further into the room. She saw... she couldn't define what she saw it was all too terrible to comprehend. Blood there was so much blood, and Tara wasn't moving she was just... just... Backing into the wall and sliding down to sit slumped in lost confusion a single word cut through the silence of the Summers' house. "Tara..."

_She was so beautiful. Dawn, a child of the sun was basking in the moonlight for his eyes alone. Her dark hair fell in shining waves around her as she lay on the rocks by the lake. Her pale ivory skin shone brightly, the small yet perfect curves of her breast rising and falling with every breath she took of the cool night air. They were lounging together near the lake he had played and fished at as a boy, before he was a slave, before he was a vampire. Godric's heart bloomed with joy at having her here with him after all these long lonely years. _

_Dawn's icy blue eyes met his and she smiled mischievously at him. "What are you smiling, min sota?" _

"_Just wondering why you did it," she answered him, her voice as sticky sweet as honey. _

_He frowned walking closer to the beautiful young woman lying before him like some virgin sacrifice of old. "Did what?" _

_Godric watched curiously as she ran her fingers through her hair and across her neck before holding one hand up for him to see. Her slight fingertips were dripping with blood, stained dark, nearly black in the night. "This," she whispered and then he saw it, her mouth was stained with blood. She wasn't laying on some dark rock by the lake but a puddle of blood. "How could you do this to me? I trusted you..." Blood red tears were streaming from her now golden eyes. Her face was a twisted macabre mask of the beauty she'd been before. _

Godric sat bolt upright in his bed eyes quickly taking in everything in the darkening room looking for threats. He could feel the sun setting as he untangled his feet from the overly starched hotel comforter, and made his way to the small but thankfully clean bathroom. Shaking off the nightmare he'd just had he shucked off the jeans he'd worn to bed and climbed into the shower. Turning the water to its hottest setting he spent the next half hour letting its steamy waves pound away the sickening feeling in his gut.

Tucking the towel he was wearing more securely around his waist he picked up his cell phone and started flicking through the numbers. When he found Dawn's he called the number and waited as it rang.

Dawn heard the phone ringing in the hallway and slowly crawled her way up the wall to answer it. It had been ringing for sometime it seemed when she finally picked up the receiver and pulled it to her ear. "Hello?" she asked in a quiet rasping whisper. Her throat felt like it hadn't been used in an eternity.

"Dawn?" she heard the voice she'd been enchanted by just twenty-four hours ago ask. "Are you okay?"

A shudder ripped through her small frame as she stood in the darkened hallway. "No," she gasped out, tears lining her pale blue eyes. "Can you...? Can you please come...?" As hard as she tried Dawn couldn't get out the rest of her question.

When Dawn finally answered the phone he voice sounded small, frightened, weighed down with sadness. "Dawn?" he asked wanted to be sure it was the alluring young woman he'd met the night before and not her more dangerous sister. "Are you okay?"

Godric could hear her shaky breath crackle through the phone as he awaited her answer. "No," she finally let out. "Can you...? Can you please come...?"

He felt her hesitation in asking, in inviting him to come to whatever rescued she was in need of. But he also felt her need so he simply asked, "where?"

"1630 Revello Drive," she told him in that quiet broken voice.

"I'll be there soon," he assured her and hung up the phone to begin his race across town.

Once she heard the dial tone ringing in her ear Dawn dropped the receiver leaving it on the hall carpet beeping annoyingly. She slid back into Willow's room and sat again with Tara. They had been so happy, finally together again as they always should have been. Why was this happening? The teen didn't understand and doubted she ever would.

Godric raced through the alley towards the Summers' home reaching the home in record timing. He stopped in the backyard smelling the bitter sweetness of dried blood mixed in with the dirt and grass beneath his feet. Kneeling he captured some of the still drying liquid on his fingertips. Sniffing it he could tell that it had been there since sometime this morning and if it wasn't Dawn's it belonged to a member of her family.

Looking up towards the house he wondered what nightmare he would find inside. The ancient vampire listened as he approached the back door but only heard one calm steady heart beating inside. "Dawn?" he called as he pushed the door open and carefully stepped inside.

The two thousand year old vampire could smell the blood and death all way down the stairs. He found her most recent scent at the foot of the stairs and followed it up until he found her sitting alone in a darkened room. Godric moved in all of his vampiric speed becoming nothing but a blur as he moved the last few feet to kneel at her side. His cool hand found hers and noted that temperature difference between the two was no where near where it should have been.

His dark grey eyes quickly took in her form then the dead young woman laying a few feet away at the end of the bed. "Dawn sweetheart are you hurt?" he tried keeping his voice low and even as she seemed to not have noticed his entrance.

Checking over her more slowly he found that there was nothing amiss with her physical being. She was unresponsive though and seemed to be in some form of a dazed shock. "Dawn," he spoke calmly though inside he would have given anything to have the happy laughing girl he'd met only last night back. "You're in shock right now I need you to come back to me and tell me what happened."

"I found her," she whispered in that quiet broken voice finally.

He nodded looking at the woman lying on the ground. A spot of blood had bloomed on her chest and there was splattering on the wall. Looking around the room he noticed that the window was broken in the corner and glass splattered the floor as though something had come through the window from outside. From the backyard where he'd found the blood before. "I know, I'm sorry but what happened here?" he asked Dawn again if only to get her mind working in the present.

She shook her head against the wall, eyes never leaving the body only a few feet away. "I don't know, I just came home and found... God... Tara..." Finally looked up at him, her blue eyes shining large and sad in the moonlight. "And then you called and.. I just couldn't leave her alone but I was scared and all alone and..."

The vampire pulled her close, ignoring the hunger that spiked through his gut as he smelled her sweet scent. "Shh... shh..." he cooed to her, his fingers raking through her hair. "Sweetheart, I'm here now and neither of you will be alone okay."

Dawn nodded, her nails biting into his shoulder blades through the shirt he'd quickly thrown on. "Godric don't leave me, please, don't leave me," the teen pleaded.

"Don't worry, I won't," he promised her quietly even as he heard the door downstairs open and two sets of footsteps come in.

"Dawn?" a woman's voice cried out from below. Slowly releasing the slayers sister he looked up at the petite blond as she came racing into the room. "Dawn?" she asked quietly watching the vampire with quiet weariness.

"God Buffy!" the brunette cried and jumped up wrapping herself in her older sister's arms.


	5. Chapter 5

Buffy slowly let her little sister go and looked at the young man still crouched on the ground. Something about him screamed predator but from what she could tell he had been genuinely trying to comfort her younger sibling. "Dawn?" she asked again reaching up to brush her fingers through her sister's long dark hair.

The younger girl stepped away, and looked down going back to her with drawn state. "I... I didn't want to leave her alone," she finally admitted.

"Leave who...?" the slayer broke off as she finally looked past her sister to see their friend dead on the floor. "Dawn, honey," she started pulling her sister out of the room. Xander walked in taking in the scene in utter dismay and shock. Buffy shook her head at her best friend sadly and tried to lead her sister from the room. "Come on, we need to get out of here okay?" The slayer let Xander lead them back downstairs, she and Dawn took the middle, while Dawn's 'friend' followed behind them.

Once they were downstairs Dawn's friend leaned against the door jam leading into the living room while Dawn and Xander sat on the couch together. Wearily Buffy called the coroner to get the body removed. Dawn had started crying quietly and looked up red eyed when Buffy came to stand before her. "I don't understand," she sobbed.

"Me either sweetie," the slayer admitted dumbly.

They sat in silence for a long moment before Xander finally decided to risk telling Dawn about this morning with her strange male friend lurking within earshot. "You remember that guy we were looking for? Warren?"

Dawn's head shot up anger flashing in her eyes, "Warren did this?"

Buffy squeezed Dawn's hand, "we think so. He...um..." she paused looking at the stranger in their home before continuing. "He took a shot a me this morning, it wasn't bad though, I'm fine."

"Is that where the blood in the backyard came from?" the strange boy asked, a slight frown wrinkling his brow. There was something about that expression that reminded Buffy of Angel suddenly.

"You saw that?" she asked Dawn.

The brunette shook her head and the boy answered for her. "I came through the backyard and noticed it, but Dawn was upset and I didn't want to mention it."

Xander looked the young man over carefully, Dawn was like a sister to him and he'd hate to see her get hurt. "I'm sorry but who are you, and why are you here?"

"Godric," Dawn answered calmly. "He called earlier... we were supposed to hang out tonight and I just didn't want to be here alone anymore, so..."

"How long have you been here?" Buffy asked her little sister finally.

Looking up at the boy, Godric, she shook her head. "A little afternoon I guess," she whispered in wonder.

The blond scanned the teenage boy before asking, "when did you get here?"

He looked like he was thinking about it before he shrugged, "maybe ten-fifteen minutes before you did."

She nodded, "well I'm sure your family will be worried about you."

Again he shrugged, the simple move looking elegant, "my dad and brother know where I am."

"Can you stay?" Dawn whispered.

He looked at Buffy hard as he answered her sister, "I said I would."

Before she could interrupt him and tell him that he really should get back to his family and leave hers alone there was a knock on the door. Xander quickly got up to answer the door and lead the coroner upstairs. Buffy got up to answer some questions to the cops while Godric moved to sit next to Dawn on the couch.

"You okay?" the ancient vampire asked, letting his grey eyes rake over Dawn's pretty face.

"Getting there," she answered him quietly before leaning her head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry about all of this," Dawn whispered, her warm breath brushing across his neck and earlobe. "Some date huh?" Then she sat up realizing what she had said. Pushing her hair behind her ear she blushed and tried not to look directly at him. "I mean, not that this was a um... date or anything... I just meant we were supposed to hang and..."

"I'd like for us to go on a date," Godric cut her off. He looked at her and gave her one of his perfect uneven smiles, "just, you know, a real one. Where no one dies."

Dawn smiled slightly at him but the light of it didn't reach her eyes as it had last night. Instead she went back to simply leaning her head on his shoulder again, "check; no death."

"Hey," Buffy said breaking up Dawn's snuggle fest with Godric. Dawn knew her sister didn't know and thus didn't trust the guy, but there was just something about him that instantly drew her in. It was there just as it had been last night, the gut tightening electric tug that told her to just be near him.

"Are the police gone?" the brunette asked tiredly.

The slayer nodded, "yeah, they'll be back tomorrow though to redecorate in yellow."

"Joy," Dawn dead panned as Xander came to join them.

Looking back at the two teenagers the slayer let out a sigh, "we need to find Willow."

"Yeah, she's off the wagon big time. Warren's a dead man if she finds him," Xander added.

Sitting up further next to Godric Dawn nearly growled. "Good."

"Dawn don't say that," Buffy admonished.

Godric watched the beautiful young woman he'd been enchanted with before spark with anger and pain as she responded to her sister's well meant lecture. "Why not? I'd do it myself if I could."

The slayer sat across from her sister and tried to catch her pale gaze. "Because you don't really feel that way," she answered quietly.

"Yes, I do. And you should too. Warren killed Tara and he tried to kill you. He should pay," Dawn's voice was filled with such glorious passion that only youth could afford.

"Out of the mouth's of babes," Xander muttered.

Instantly the slayer had pinned her friend with a deadly glare, "Xander."

He threw his hands out and Godric noticed the red flaking of dried blood on his palms. "I'm just saying... He's as bad as any vam..."

"Xander," Buffy cut him off loudly reminding him that they had company outside their inner circle with them. "Warren's human," she sighed out tiredly.

"So?" Dawn questioned. Godric's eyes tried not to spark with the sudden hope that filled him, that perhaps he could share what he was with her.

"So the human world has its own rules for dealing with people like Warren," Buffy tried to explain again.

"And we all know how well those rules work," Xander muttered darkly. This boy was quickly earning Godric's liking and respect.

"Sometimes they do. Sometimes they don't," the slayer said almost mechanically as though she was trying to convince even herself. "We can't control the universe. There are limits to what we can do. There should be limits. Willow just doesn't want to believe that right now."

Finally the tension in the room broke as Xander let out a defeated sigh, "okay where do we go? She could be anywhere."

The slayer sighed, "I don't know... The Magic Box maybe."

The man nodded, "alright let's go."

"Dawn can't stay here by herself like this," Buffy interjected.

"I can go with you," the slayer's sister put in with such courage and strength that it pulled at the vampire's undead heart.

Immediately the blond said no and when Dawn started to argue she added, "Dawn I'm serious. You've been through enough, seen enough for one... ever. I want you somewhere I know you'll be safe."

"I'll stay with her," Godric offered making it known with his tone he had no intention of leaving whether he was welcome or not.

"Okay," the blond finally relented feeling defeated.

Xander looked around the house and couldn't imagine wanting to stay there right now himself. "Come on I'll drop you off at my apartment, you two can stay there."

Godric stood and faced the older man his eyes searching for a long moment as he asked, "are you sure?"

The older looking man's dark eyes furrowed as he answered in an exasperated, "yeah, of course. Let's go."


End file.
